We're hoping to make the Kiwis follow-on: Ashwin

We're hoping to make the Kiwis follow-on: Ashwin

Having driven India to a dominant position after polishing off the Kiwi top-order, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says getting the remaining wickets on Saturday, Day 3 of the first Test, will not be easy, although the team is looking to wrap New Zealand's first innings early.

Replying to India's healthy 438, New Zealand were struggling at 106 for five at stumps, Ashwin having dismissed three batsmen, including skipper Ross Taylor.

"The new ball was a little bit hard and the seam was much more upright, something that helped us extract bounce and enabled us get a few wickets up front. As the ball gets old, it would slow up a little bit and we have to be more patient to get wickets tomorrow. But we have to stick to our plans and would look to wrap up the innings quickly," Ashwin said after the second day's play.

"Wrapping up early would mean we should be eyeing a follow-on. With respect to how the wicket is behaving and the weather being a little cloudy, we should be looking to bowl twice and get the job done," he added.

'Virat said he had his fingers underneath the ball'

Ashwin said the bowlers did a good job on Day 2, and the early dismissal of Brendon McCullum provided them the momentum. He was also pleased to have got a wicket off his very first delivery.

"I just wanted to land it (the ball) in proper place and keep it up. The drift was going the other way and the batsman got beaten. I thought we bowled well and stuck to our game plan. Obviously, the wicket of McCullum early helped. But, in the end, we bowled well today," he added.

"If you put 440 on the board you expect yourself to be on a dominant position in the game. It's a good enough score to dominate the game."

About the controversial dismissal of Ross Taylor, when Virat Kohli took a low catch at backward fine-leg, Ashwin said the decision was fair.

"I asked Virat and he said he had his fingers underneath it (ball). We were quite confident that he was out."

Image: New Zealand's captain Ross Taylor (centre) watches as India's Virat Kohli (right) dives to takes a catch to dismiss him off the bowling of R AshwinPhotographs: Reuters/Vivek Prakash

'I've relied much more on the stock ball than the carrom ball'

Ashwin also rejected criticism that he used the carrom ball more often than the conventional off-spin.

"I have always maintained that I've relied much more on the stock ball than the carrom ball. Yes, it's done the trick once or twice, I got people out with it. But it's not that I bowl that one every over.

"Carrom ball is not an attacking ball at all and is used as a defensive mechanism. I've played enough first class cricket to know what stock ball is," he said.

He said the perception has grown since they play a lot of ODI and T20 cricket where he uses the carrom ball more often.

"We played a lot of one-day and T20 cricket and to be one-up I would rather try it (carrom ball) more in a One-day or T20 format where there are more chances to get hit. I think it's a comparison made from there."